A Paper Crafter’s Primer – Frequently Asked Questions for the new Paper Crafter

Are you a relatively new paper crafter? Do you want to know everything NOW! Do you feel like there’s so much to know and it’s hard to know where to begin? Well if so, you’ve come to the right place!

I’d like to start by telling you a short story about a customer. This customer had purchased one of my Impressions of Tarnished Foil Classes-To-Go. Skill and experience wise, this would definitely be considered an advanced level class for a new paper crafter. Now this customer loved the class and seemed very proud of her results. This lead me to believe that she was an experienced crafter. Well, I was definitely wrong! Little did I know, this particular customer had never bought Stampin’ Up! products before, and was in fact, brand new to paper crafting, stamping and card making.

When a new customer comes to me online, I have no way of knowing how experienced they are, or if they’ve ever even picked up a stamp.

This customer contacted me a few months later, after she’d purchased a few more products and her very first Stampin’ Up! ink pad. She couldn’t figure out how to open the ink pad and she was a bit frustrated. Well, I felt like I’d sort of let her down, because I didn’t know she was new to the craft. From that point on, I realized I needed to do a better job of determining a little about my customers, (if they would share), so they would not find themselves confused and frustrated especially if they were new to the craft.

This experience set in motion a seed of an idea, for what is my post today.

At that point, I realized I needed to provide a service, or product, focused on serving New Paper Crafters. The goal would be to help them get off to a good start, to minimize frustration and maximize fun, as they learn the fundamentals of the craft.

When I started as a paper crafting over 15 years ago I wanted to know everything there was to know.

When I started as a new paper crafter over 15 years ago I wanted to know everything there was to know. I just started buying, playing, creating, and learning new techniques, by reading and exploring. This was, and still is a fine way to learn. Nonetheless, I think there’s an easier way than just purchasing willy nilly and fumbling around on Pinterest, YouTube or Splitcoast Stampers, for the answers you’re seeking.

Don’t get me wrong, these are all amazing resources and you should absolutely use them. However, I think there’s a way to be a better informed, smarter consumer, when it comes to learning the craft. I’d love to help you to maximize both your money and your fun!!! Who doesn’t want to spend their money more wisely and have more fun right?

My goal is to streamline the process of learning the fundamentals of paper crafting, starting with the basics, in a structured guided sort of way!

This is what I would have really appreciated as a new paper crafter over 15 years ago!

The truth is there are so many more resources and sources of information today than there used to be. This makes it hard to know what to focus on and can be overwhelming. So, what are the right questions to be asking, and where is a good place to start? Well that partly depends on what “flavor” of paper crafter you are, or aspire to be?

Here are just few possibilities…

Do you want to do quilling…

Here’s a project made at one of my events, that includes the most basic quilling:

…or make 3-D paper crafts, like boxes, tags and gifts?

Here are a few projects made at past events…

What about scrapbooking or other memory keeping crafts?

This mini photo album was the focus of a class a few years back…

Do you aspire to being a mixed media artist…

The techniques shown on these bookmarks were shared at my Fun with Media and More Class. It’s an all time favorite of mine!

…or do art journaling?

Or… maybe you’re interested in simple stamping and card making, or some combination of all of the above?

You may now be saying to yourself, OMG I don’t even know what all these “flavors” of paper crafting are, and that’s totally fine!

No matter what type of paper crafter you are, or aspire to be, there are some fundamentals that can help you get to where you want to go faster.

This basic knowledge includes information about, the types of ink and ink pads available, basic tools, types of stamps, adhesive options, basic must-know techniques, plus some fundamentals of design, color and layout. You can learn all of this easily and have an amazing repertoire of skills and knowledge at your finger tips in very little time! I’m envisioning a crash course into the world of paper crafts!

The truth is, by working with and teaching experienced and new paper crafters for the past 15 years, I’ve identified the questions that get asked over and over, not just by the new paper crafter, but by people who have been doing the craft for years. It takes a long time to learn what there is to know, and I’m definitely still learning, which is much of why I love this craft!

With that said, there are fundamentals to start with! I’ve created a Paper Crafter’s Primer starting with a PDF called Frequently Asked Questions for the New Paper Crafter, (or for those more experienced that may have knowledge gaps). In fact, some of my customers that are veteran crafters, have told me they found value in this Paper Crafter’s Primer too!

Time and again, I’ve taught people who have done paper crafts for years and they still tell me they learned something new. I take great pride in knowing I can teach even the most experienced of paper crafting students!

Whether you are a veteran or a new paper crafter, I’d love to share my Paper Crafter’s Primer with you!

Simply complete the form below to subscribe to my email list. You’ll receive an email to confirm your subscription, followed by an email with the download.

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I hope you’ll be inspired to learn with me and let me guide you on your paper crafting journey!!! Thanks so much for spending some time with me today!

Happy Crafting!

Melissa 🙂

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I am a seeker of that crazy, excited feeling that comes when you've created something that’s unique, beautiful and expresses who you are in some small way. It’s like making a new discovery, when you find a unique combination of color, layout, dimension and texture. I call it a creative spark and it makes me giddy! Through sharing and teaching I hope to help others find this amazing feeling of creative bliss!

Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog and for sharing the types of projects you are interested in. The truth is, I’ve only dabbled the tiniest bit in quilling and journaling. I mostly focus on card making techniques and like to play around with mixed media a little bit. I love learning and creating unique and interesting techniques! Around Christmas time I’ll sometimes offer gift packaging type events where we might make tags. Here’s a link to a post with XMas Tags we made at a class a while back: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/thecraftingtreehouse/blog?directBlogUrl=/blog/60800/entry/christmas_decor_plus_tags_with

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